The Chain of Events
by Alicethepurplefrog
Summary: The Once-ler's life, what happened to his father, and other reasons why he did what he did; reasons he left out when talking to Ted. After all, someone like him, he figured, didn't deserve sympathy. POV Once-ler. No pairings.
1. Goodbye

I told Ted my story at a point long after it had started. But he did not need to know about my life; or at least, the unimportant stuff. I just had to tell him the bad that I did. After all, a human like me, if you can even call me that, deserves no respect, and Ted did not need to know about the emotional reasons that lead me to cut down the trees. At least, he did not need to know more about my life, more about when I was young and actually acted like a respectable human being. No, he just needed to know about the bad I had done, and how I really did not deserve to be forgiven.

But, if I were to really pinpoint the first link in the chain of my self-destruction that lead me to become the monster I am now, I would say it started a long time ago; even longer than the point where I had started telling my story to Ted.

* * *

"Hey Once-y! ONEC-Y!" One of my brothers screamed. I had no idea which one it was; in actuality, Bret and Chet sounded and acted identically.

"Come on out! We won't bite!" The other one shouted. It was true, they hadn't yet bitten me; but I had enough bruises and scars from when they picked on me and beat me up. I was the odd one out in the family; a very skinny boy with unusually long limbs and big eyes. I was smarter than both my brothers, a trait I was quite fond of; however, what I had in brains I made up for with lack of muscles. So day after day after day, they would find on reason or another to pick on me. But today was going to be different.

I was sitting behind a lump of hay, one of the many in our field. It was the only way to hide here; we lived amongst tons of plains, and with no trees to climb or hide behind, it was hard to avoid my brothers. _Why do they pick on me so much_, I wondered. _Maybe they're just jealous because I'm the oldest, but the weakest. _

"There he is!" One of them shouted. _Oh no, _I thought. _I have ridiculously long legs… they'll probably see them… _I could hear my brothers running towards me from the distance. _Stay calm, Once-ler. You know how this is going to work. Everything will be fine, just stay calm… _If things went like they usually did, one would come from the left and one from the right so I can't escape before they get to me.

"Gotcha!" They shouted at the same time. I shut my eyes tightly, ready for a blow. …It never came. I opened my eyes and, with a grin, saw that my trap had worked. I had spent all morning trying to think of a trap that could work without hurting my brothers, and I had succeeded. I had dug two shallow holes in the ground and covered them with a think layer of leaves so that when my brothers unwittingly stepped in them, they would trip and fall, giving me time to escape.

"Not this time!" I taunted, running backwards. I laughed at my confused brothers as I ran, until I bumped into something behind me.

"Once-y." My mom said sternly. I turned around and faced her. She looked down at me coldly, for at this point and time she was still taller than me. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"Oh…" I gulped. "Hi, mom." She continued glaring at me.

"What in the world made you want to do that?" She asked.

"Well… they were gonna beat me up again…" I replied meekly.

"What?" She exclaimed. "My Bret and Chet would never do such a thing!" She pushed me aside and walked over to Bret and Chet. "Are you two ok?" She helped them up and I sighed. She never believed me when it came to these things. It didn't seem to matter how many bruises I got from them on a daily basis. "I'll make sure that doesn't happen again." My mom said to my brothers. They both ran past me and each gave me a punch, knocking me backwards.

"Better luck next time, Once-y!" They teased.

"See?" I said. Mom ignored me, as usual.

"Honey!" She shouted loudly. My dad poked his head out of the living room window.

"Yeah?" He shouted back.

"Will you take Once-ler to his room?" She pulled me up by my collar. "He was being a bad boy again!"

"Once-ler's never a bad boy!" Dad replied in protest.

"Just do it! I needed to go out shopping anyways. Chet! Bret! C'mon!" She said. "I need to buy y'all some new clothes. You keep getting them ripped!" Brett and Chet followed mom to the truck like lemmings and they drove off into the distance.

"Hey, Once-ler." My dad said after he came outside. "Were Bret and Chet picking on you again?" I nodded.

"Yeah." I smirked. "But I caught them in one of my traps today."

"You did?" My dad exclaimed. "Wait… you didn't hurt them, right?"

"Of course not! Just a little distraction so I could run."

"Well good." Dad said. "Fighting fire with fire is never a good thing."

"I know, I know." I said, rolling my eyes.

"Here, let's get you inside. Your arm's bleeding." I hadn't even noticed. I was so used to getting picked on that it all felt normal to be in pain. I got it when I had fallen, I figured. Dad lead me to my room, the attic. Most people would consider that as bad, but I enjoyed the attic; it was spacious and had plenty of windows, which gave me a nice view, despite the fact that there was nothing to look at except for the dreary, boring plains outside. I had enough in there to occupy my time: sewing materials, (because mom said that my body was too disproportionate for store-bought clothes and that I'd have to make my own), a children's guitar, art supplies… I almost wish I didn't have to leave. In my room, I didn't have anyone to scold or belittle me.

"This might sting a bit." Dad said, dabbing my scar with disinfectant.

"Owww…" I moaned. It didn't matter how many times I had this happen, I would never get used to it.

"Alright, there we go." Dad wrapped it with a bandage. "That should do it."

"Thanks…" I mumbled. We sat in an awkward silence for a moment. "Hey dad… why do Chet and Bret pick on me so much?"

"It's part of being a sibling, I guess." He replied. "That happened to me all the time when I was a kid."

"Why?"

"Probably because I was skinny and never got angry back at them." He said. "You and I are alike."

That was an understatement; saying that my father and I were alike was like saying that the ocean was damp. He was tall for his age like me, and fairly lean, (though not as stick-skinny as I was). He had messy, ebony hair and freckles speckled across his cheeks. It seemed the only thing that I had inherited from my mother was blue eyes. His were dark green.

"Hey, have you been practicing?" My dad asked, with a smile.

"Of course!" I beamed. "Lemme go get my guitar!" I hopped off my bed and ran to go fetch it. Meanwhile, my dad took his off his back and began strumming it. Dad could not be caught dead without that guitar strapped to his back. "Oh, I forgot to tell you dad! I wrote my own song!"

"Did you now?" He sat beside me and grinned. "Well, let me hear it!" I began to pluck at the strings nervously, worried that he might laugh. I took a deep breath, and began to play.

"Everybody needs a thneed~ a fine thing that all people need. Everybody-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Oncie, but what's a thneed?"

"Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you about that!" I shoved the guitar into his hands and ran to my sewing set on my desk. "Here they are!" I ran back to him and dumped the thneeds on his lap. "Well? What do you think?"

"Well…" he picked one up and examined it. "What _is _it?"

"I had some leftover cloth after I made some clothes… so I made that! A thneed! It's amazing, dad! It can do anything!" I grabbed one, that happened to be made of baby blue bunny print, and held it up proudly. "Well… at least it _could _do anything. I just… haven't found the right material yet."

"You want to sell that, son?" The tone in his voice sounded more stern than usual, so I wiped the grin off my face and put the thneed down.

"Sorry… is that a stupid idea?" I asked. I knew I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up.

"Stupid?" He ruffled my hair. "Of course not! Nothing you put your mind to is stupid."

"But mom says-"

"Your mother doesn't know talent when she sees it, then." He said, grabbing one. "Now… what's wrong with the material?"

"I… I don't know. I just wanted something more absorbent, softer, just… better. Does that make sense?"

"I suppose so." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. "Well, consider me your first customer."

"What? No!" I snatched up all of the thneeds. "No one can have one until they're done! I don't want anyone getting something less than perfect!"

"Well… your choice." Dad put his wallet away. "You seem really determined to get that sold."

"Of course I am! Someday, I wanna be a success. And I know my thneed will take me there!"

"Well then. I'm rooting for you." Dad began to play with my guitar. "But before then, I'm going to have to get you a new guitar. An adult one."

"You mean it?" I asked, astonished. "I can get a big, electric guitar like you?"

"Of course! How can you expect to boast that jingle with a children's guitar like that?" He held his hand out to me. "Tell you what: next time we can, I'll take you shopping and look for some. Deal?"

"Deal!" I replied, shaking his hand eagerly. "Thanks, dad! "

* * *

That night, I heard loud banging coming from downstairs; this meant mom and dad were fighting again. This happened a lot, and I usually slept through it, but tonight was much louder than usual. Mom had a terrible habit of throwing things when she was mad, but this only seemed to apply to when she was mad at dad. I heard muffled screaming coming from downstairs, so I pressed my ear against the floorboards. Unfortunately, I couldn't make out what they were saying. All I knew for sure was that mom was yelling the loudest and dad seemed much calmer. I heard the yelling get louder and banging more frequent, and I couldn't take it anymore. I hid myself under the covers and wrapped the pillow around my head tightly, trying to drown out the sound. Finally, it stopped. I waited intently for a few minutes and heard nothing. Finally, I heard footsteps approaching my room. I shut my eyes tightly, trying to feign sleep. If it was my mom, I'd be in trouble, even if I didn't do anything. The door creaked open, and I relaxed a bit. The footsteps sounded calm and relaxed. It was my dad. I heard him go to the corner of my room, and set something down with a thud.

"Dad?" I asked. He flinched at the sound of my voice, obviously startled.

"O-oncie!" He said, turning quickly. "You're still awake?"

"Yeah." I nodded. " What happened? What are you guys fighting about?"

"We're not fighting, Oncie. Just discussing." He said, smiling sadly. "But go back to bed! Or lie down at least. You're not allowed to see this until morning!"

"Is it a gift?" I asked. "It's not even my birthday."

"Well… you'll see. Just don't look, okay?" I laid back down so I couldn't see whatever dad was doing, and waited for him to come over. He kneeled down beside my bed, and that's when I noticed a huge, bloody bruise on his cheek.

"Dad-"

"It's nothing." He said, covering it with his hand.

"But dad-" I reached my hand out, but he just shoved me away.

"It's nothing a bandage can't take care of. But Oncie…" He sounded more serious than usual. "I'm going to be going on a little… trip."

"A trip? " I asked. "Where are you going? Can I come with you?"

"No… I…" he stroked my hair. "I need you to stay here. You're the oldest boy. And I want you to take care of your mom."

"But she doesn't like me."

"Don't say that!" He sighed. "Anyways… I love you. You know that, right?"

"Of course! I love you too, dad."

"Thank you." He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. "I'll see you soon. I promise. Now go back to bed."

"Alright. Goodnight, daddy." I closed my eyes and, being who I was, fell asleep in an instant.

* * *

I woke up early the next day. Though I was the heaviest sleeper, I got up the earliest. The sun was just rising, and I smiled, eager to try and perfect my thneed as well as my guitar playing. I went to the corner where my guitar usually sat, only to see it was gone. In it's place was dad's beautiful electric guitar.

"What is this…?" I wondered aloud. Dad never went anywhere without his guitar. Something must have been wrong. I found a note folded between the strings of the guitar. It was my dad's writing. He was left handed, so all of his words tended to smudge and look messy.

_Dear Oncie,_

_I'm sorry to tell you this, but your mother doesn't want me around anymore. I want you to know Once-ler, that you did nothing to cause this. Don't you ever think that. But… this isn't goodbye. I promise, I'll see you soon. I would have brought you with me, but I'd rather you stay in a secure, stable home, instead of wandering around like me. Believe me, you'll be better off with your mother and your brothers than with me. Besides, they need you to take care of them. You're the oldest boy, after all. And… your mother said she might have her sister and her husband come over to help out. So it'll be a full, happy house. You won't even notice I'm gone! But, I want you to keep my guitar. No worries, I'll find another! And I want you to have something to remember me by. You can perfect your thneed jingle with that as well. I can't wait to see it when it's finished, and I'd love to have one! _

_I'll try to keep in touch, Oncie, I promise. I love you. Don't let anyone make you think otherwise. I'll see you soon. _

_Love, Dad. _

I stared at the letter for a good twenty minutes, unsure of what to do. Should I cry? Get mad at him? Get mad at myself? Should I try to run away? I didn't know what I was supposed to do. _He doesn't get it, _I thought. _I can't stay here alone without him, I can't! _Without him, there was no one to cheer me up, no one to call me "Oncie" in such a kind tone, there was no one to compliment me and tell me I did well. That was all gone. _Gone. _I reached over and grabbed the guitar gently, as if it were a fragile piece of china. I strummed the first couple of notes in my song. This guitar sounded way better than my mediocre children's one.

"Everybody needs a thneed…" I began, far too downtrodden to sound like a sales jingle. "A fine thing that… that…" I lost it. I put the guitar down and sobbed into my hands. A million thoughts swirled around in my mind, and I couldn't stop the flow of tears. _I have to make the thneed perfect_, I thought. _If I do something right like that…_

_Maybe he'll come back._


	2. A Friend

My father left when I was ten. And the next years were a depressing continuity. Dad was a taboo; we were not allowed to speak about him at all, or it would upset mom. However, his place was soon taken over by my aunt Griselda and her wimpy husband Ebb. Within a month, they threw out all of his things and settled in to the house. (Luckily I managed to keep a few things for myself: a gray vest and a fedora that I would save for when I was older.) However, not everything got worse; my brothers picked on me less… maybe it was because my mother picked on me more. Her tolerance of me grew smaller and smaller. I think the reasoning was that I looked so much like dad. I can't blame her for being mean; my mother was human after all, so it figures she's get upset and heartbroken at the look of me… right?

The first couple of years, I just shrugged it all off. I'd get in trouble a lot, and sometimes my guitar got so annoying for everyone else that they'd just lock me in my room so I wouldn't be able to bother them. But I didn't care. On those nights, I would sit by my window and wait. Soon… soon I'm sure my dad would return. Or maybe at least send a letter.

But that never happened. After the first four years, I gave up. He wasn't coming back. He didn't care about me. Oh well, he's just like the rest of my family. But maybe I could change that. I eventually tried harder to impress my mom. I learnt to sew dresses and blouses just for her, I learned to play an assortment of songs in all sorts of genres, and I even learned how to cook. But, it was all in vain. No matter how beautiful the dresses were, no matter how perfect the songs sounded, and no matter how delicious my food tasted to me, I got the same reaction: mom would stare at me with those bitter, unkind eyes, and tell me it was awful… and then of course, to finish it off, she'd say: "You're never gonna amount to anything, Oncie."

I was told that nearly everyday. Of course, I was fairly used to this; I was told that for as long as I could remember… however, I used to have dad there to raise my spirits and tell me that I wasn't worthless. But now that was gone. And I was alone.

It was eight years after my dad left that everything changed, and the second link in the chain of my self-destruction was added. I was sitting alone outside with my guitar. It was early in the morning; the only time I could practice my guitar without bothering everyone else. I strummed the strings and made a random melody as Melvin gave me that same, disapproving look he always seemed to have.

"What, Melvin?" I asked him. "I'm just practicing. It's not gonna sound perfect yet." I continued playing. "I'll find it… I'll find the place. The place that'll have just what I need~ I'm gonna hold it all in one big embrace…" I looked up and found myself hugging Melvin. He glared at me. "Whoops. Sorry." I was a bit over-dramatic when it came to guitar playing, I suppose. "Sorry, Melvin. Just singing about a lost dream."

"Hello?" A voice behind me asked. It startled me enough that I nearly fell over. Now that I had grown so tall, I tended to be even more klutzy, especially with my ridiculously long legs.

"Ah! Hi!" I said, trying to act normal. It was the mailman, and he was holding a package in his arms. "Can I help you?" Normally, I'd be curious; but recently mom had ordered tons of packages, all of which were really ugly scarves and shirts.

"Yes, sir. Package for…" He read the note pasted on the top. "..for Mr. Once-ler."

"Oh." I said. I had never received a package before. "Uh… that's me."

"Great! Sign right here." I did as the man said, and he gave me the package and then went on his way.

"What could this be?" I asked Melvin. He gave me a curious, agitated look, as if saying _open it!_ "I'll open it in a second, Melvin." The address was smudged and hard to read, so all I could make out was the city. "Greenville? Where's Greenville?" Melvin let out an annoyed groan. "Alright, alright, I'll open it! Jeez…" I opened the box to find a letter on top. I read that first, and I nearly had a heart attack. The handwriting was sloppy and smeared… it was my dad's handwriting.

_Dear Oncie, _

_How have you been? I haven't gotten any letters from you. That means one of two things: either your mother didn't want me talking to you and hid the letters I sent, or you're just mad at me. I understand the latter. But believe me when I say that I've been writing you all these years. And I'm sorry for being too stupid to not think of sending you a package like this sooner. _

_Anyways, how have you been? I'm sure your mother is taking good care of you. And I'm sure you're taking good care of her, too. However, you're almost nineteen, right? _

I stared at the paper for a moment. _I am?_ I thought really hard for a second. _When was the last time I celebrated my birthday? It was my tenth, before dad left, right? It's been so long… when is my birthday? April… something._ I couldn't help but smile. After all, dad must of cared at least a little if he could remember my birthday after all these years apart when my mom couldn't remember my birthday while living with me.

_Well, happy birthday, Oncie. I bet you've turned into a fine young man. Are you still working on completing your thneed? If so, I have good news for you: after traveling around for years, I've finally found a place to settle in to. It's called Greenville. It's no short distance but… the trip's well worth it. The town's pretty small, and I'm almost busy constantly during the day due to my job building houses and such… but anyways, the town is not that special, but its surroundings… it's beautiful! I've never seen such a beautiful forest before! And the trees that surround this place have the most beautiful tufts. I sent you a sample of one. I think this might be able to work for your thneed. _

_And… well, I hate to be blunt, but I really miss you Oncie. If you can find it in your giant heart of yours to forgive me for leaving, I'd love to see you again. If you could find a way to come and visit me, I'd be really grateful. Like I said, I'm living in a small town called Greenville. It's west of your home, and is about a three and a half day trip. If you could find the time… and the kindness to come visit me, I would be really happy. But if you don't want to see me, I completely understand. _

_And again, I'm sorry. _

_Love, Dad. _

_P.S. Send my love to your brothers for me, will you? _

I found myself beaming at the letter. Melvin nudged me with his head gently, trying to get an answer from me. I didn't say anything, but instead opened the box. I lifted the portion of tuft out of the box to get a closer look.

"Whoa…." The tuft was orange in color, and it was softer than anything I had ever touched before. It felt better than all of the other materials I had tried to make a thneed out of before: cotton, flannel, wool, you name it. And this tuft… it had the sweetest smell to it. I couldn't tell what it was, but all I knew was that the aroma was relaxing… a lot like the smell of freshly brewed chamomile tea. "This is great!" I exclaimed, startling Melvin a bit. "Melvin, do you know what this means?" I smiled at him. "Melvin, this means I can make my thneed! I can finally become a success! I can finally…" I calmed down a bit. "Make everyone proud…" He must've sensed the change in my tone, because he nuzzled me gently, as if trying to motivate me. I petted him. "Thanks Melvin. Oh! We need to get packing! Stay right there!" He gave me an unamused look, as if to say _gee, thanks_. Mom always kept Melvin tied to the fence. Hopefully she'd let me take him with me if -no, when - I left. He never got to move his legs.

Mom agreed to let me leave. Well, she didn't put it that way. In her words, I was a waste of space in the house that only caused everyone else problems, so me leaving was seen as a blessing instead of a curse. But I didn't care. I was too eager to see dad to even listen to her over-used insults. I packed the wagon with everything I'd need: sewing materials, supplies to build a tent, food and cooking supplies, gardening equipment, an axe, clothes, marshmallows, etc. I hopped onto my wagon with Melvin, ready to take on the world… completely unaware of the horrible fate that awaited me.

And this is where I began my story with Ted. Of course, I didn't tell him a thing about my father… he didn't really need to know about that. He really didn't need to know that I had reasoning for doing bad.

"Now Oncie…" My mother said, her tone sounding gentler than usual, "If for some reason your invention is a failure instead of a success… well, that wouldn't surprise me at all!" She began laughing hysterically, and soon the entire family joined in. Then one of my brothers punched me and Melvin kicked him back. Melvin was secretly a really good friend… and the only one that I really had. But after I set off and got out of earshot of my family, I felt a strange sensation bubbling up inside of me. A large grin appeared on my face. What was this feeling? Joy? I pulled out my guitar and began to play a random melody. _Yes, this is joy._ It was the first time in years I had felt so happy. Things were finally going my way: I was going to see dad again, I was going to sell my thneed, I was going get away from my family, and I might even be able to make them proud too. Everything was great!

"Nah na na na na na o bop a doo do doo do doo. Goin' off to make a thneed~" I began to sing. Melvin glared and rolled his eyes as if to say _this is going to be a long trip._

* * *

As expected, it took about three and a half days for me to find the forest. (Actually, it took me four days because I have no sense of direction.). Bu the forest was even prettier than I had imagined. The grass and plants were a bright, exuberant green, and the trees… the trees were brighter than anything I had seen before! They came in all sorts of bright pastel colors, ranging from bright orange, to a cool, deep red. Even the creatures living there were bright and exuberant too! It was amazing… to think that the world could be this beautiful, especially in comparison to my dreary old home.

I immediately when to work. I befriended some animals, (by befriended, I mean I gave them marshmallows so they wouldn't kill me), and then chopped down a pretty, pink truffula tree that stood alone. I pulled it back to my tent and began to hum a little melody. Melvin gave me an impatient look and paced.

"What? We'll go to Greenville, later okay?" I said, pulling out a bag to put the tuft in. He glared at me. "Oh don't give me that look." He nudged my legs gently. "Look, Melvin, I don't want to go meet dad until I've sold some thneeds. I want to make him proud first, okay?" He rolled his eyes and started eating some grass.

The rest of the story from here is pretty straight-forward. It was then, when I was carelessly harvesting the tree, that I met the guardian of the forest: the Lorax. If I had to describe him in one word, I guess it would be… _cute?_ Well, he would be cute if he wasn't so annoying! He went out of his way to sabotage me by any means necessary! This ranged from trying to destroy my makeshift home, putting my bed in a river and even trying to call it all a "curse" of nature or something. He was a weird tree-hugger to say the least. But even though he, for lack of a better term, would be considered my rival, I couldn't help but envy him. He had something that I never had: assertiveness. He did what ever he wanted to get his point across, and he never, ever gave up. I couldn't help but envy that. I had been passive my entire life to my family… and I hadn't done much to try and change that. So I silently respected this strange creature… and I planned to prove him wrong too, especially when he called my thneed garbage.

Garbage?

It's nothing of the sort! And I'd make that clear!

A week and a half later, and I failed. I was pretty optimistic on the first couple of days, ready to take Greenville by storm with my thneed, but.. They weren't quite as enthused. In fact, they seemed to enjoy mocking me. A lot. Not a day passed where I wasn't covered in tomatoes and whatever else the citizens of Greenville wanted to pelt me with. Some people even thought it was funny to throw a couple punches at me too! Even a nun tried to beat me up! Since when do nuns do that? But the worst part of all was when a little girl broke my precious guitar. She just ripped it from my hands and broke it in half! I was mortified! That was dad's guitar! A few days passed after my guitar was broken, and I gave up.

"That's it!" I declared, glaring through the remains of tomatoes that were splattered on my clothes and face. "You know what? I give up!" I stormed off the stage, and the crowd seemed upset. Of course, this was only because they enjoyed ridiculing me. "Mom was right! I quit!" I ripped the thneed off my neck and threw it in the distance, not caring where it went. "Come on, Melvin!" He was trailing behind me, looking sadder than usual. Maybe he really was rooting for me? I'm not sure, but all I knew was that I certainly wasn't rooting for me anymore. What was the point? I was a loser. Melvin and I walked back to the forest in silence, and depressing thoughts were whirling in my mind. _You're an idiot, Once-ler. Did you really think you'd sell that thneed… that garbage? How stupid. Don't go visit your dad, he wouldn't want to see such a disgrace…_ I sighed and kept walking, slumping over and staring at the ground listlessly.

"Ah ha!" I heard the Lorax boast in the distance. _He and the other creatures must being playing cards again,_ I figured. It was so strange. How come he could teach the animals to play cards when he couldn't even teach them to speak? What a weird creature. I ignored it and kept walking.

"Hey, beanpole!" The Lorax shouted. "Where's your thneed? Did you sell it?" I mustered up a smile despite my fowl mood, but I still couldn't help but find it odd that the Lorax actually cared. _Oh well. He'll be taunting me in a second. He'll laugh and boast about how he was right and I was wrong…_

"Ah yeah… no." I said. I kneeled down to the tiny creature's height. "I guess it was just a little ahead of its time…" I winced, ready to be ridiculed.

"Well, you gave it your best! What else can you do?" The Lorax replied with one of his rare smiles. I was too shocked to say what was on my mind:_what?_ The Lorax had done nothing but sabotage me from the start, and now that I had done something wrong… he was _nice_ to me? "Sit down, we'll deal you in."

"Uh, what are we playing?" I asked, a smile growing across my face. _Maybe mustache wasn't too bad after all. Maybe…_ I nearly laughed at the absurdity of the thought. _Maybe I could even call him my friend. _


	3. A Blue Thneed

"Beanpole, you gotta stop what you're doing!" The Lorax shouted. "If you don't, bad things will happen!" It had been a few days since my thneed became huge. I knew that, unfortunately, I would need my family's help if I were to get my company bigger and sell my thneeds. So I called them. Luckily for me, they seemed to be thrilled for me! Well, at least mom did. She actually beamed at me when she first saw me, and gave me a great, big hug. _How long has it been since she's hugged me? Years, at least. _But barely after my family had been there an hour, mom came to me with an unthinkable proposal:

"Well… and this _just _came to me," She liked to randomly enunciate random words when she talked to me, as if talking to a young child. "…you could always start chopping down the trees."

"What?" I turned to her, completely shocked. How could she even bring up something like that? I had just gained the Lorax's friendship, and I wasn't about to give that away . "But-"

"No buts, Oncie! You're running a business now. You have to do what's best for your company, and your mama!" She stared at me with pleading eyes, and I suddenly felt nervous.

_What do I do? _I wondered, a frown crossing my face. _I just got a new friend! And how could I betray him so quickly? And Pipsqueak and all the others… I promised them too… _I glanced at mom, who was staring at me with a helpless look. _But she's my mom. And she actually loves me now. _Suddenly a though occurred to me. _If I can get her to still care about me and listen to me… and if I can also get dad to be proud of me… maybe I can find a way to get them… _It was a silly idea, but one I would give anything for. I decided that for now, I would do what my mom says.

"Well…" I said, nervously playing with the pen in my hand. "I guess it couldn't hurt to cut down a few trees." _Sorry, Lorax. _

A few days had passed, and the Lorax kept returning to my cottage daily to nag. I was thankful, at least, that he didn't bug my family. Who knows what they'd do to him. Aunt Griselda already threw him across the forest.

"Beanpole, if you keep this up not only the creatures will be in danger; you will too!" The Lorax warned.

"Me? What could possibly happen to me?" I asked, only half-paying attention. I was preoccupied on the thneed I was knitting.

"A curse of nature's a scary thing." The Lorax said, his voice getting darker.

"Curse?" I asked. "Wasn't the curse putting my bed in the river?"

"No. I put you in the river. I'm not nature or a curse."

"You sure seem like a curse to me." I said, rolling my eyes.

"Listen, beanpole," the Lorax snapped. "A curse of nature's a scary thing. I've seen it happen before, and you don't want to know what happens."

"Yeah… right." I said, placing the thneed on the table. It was hard to believe the little guy; the only power he seemed to have was the ability to talk.

"I know you don't believe me, but you gotta stop!" The Lorax said, obviously getting aggravated. He walked to my door, and glared. "You have been warned. Listen to me this time." I opened the door for him, and he sprinted outside.

"How annoying." I said. But I decided I should help him a little. I began writing down calculations. _If one truffula tuft could make ten thneeds… and my family cut down twenty trees… that means I could two hundred thneeds. By that time, I could easily plant some seeds to make up for the trees we cut down… and maybe in that time, I could even think of a new way to harvest the trees that wouldn't involve an axe. _

"What could possibly go wrong?" I asked myself. I quickly looked around for a piece of wood to knock on, but found none. I shrugged and decided to go outside for a walk; I was tired, but too restless to sleep.

I decided that tomorrow was the day I would finally go see my dad. My thneed had just gotten famous, and I was the buzz of the town! Surely I'd make my dad proud.

"Nah nah nah nah nah nah~" I began singing mindlessly as I wandered through the forest. I liked this time of night; the world seemed to be asleep, and I was free to wander and do as I pleased. _I might as well explore, _I thought. I wandered throughout the forest, the stars and the moonlight shining brightly above me. _Everything's gonna be ok._

"Whoa." I stopped in my tracks. Right in front of me was a growing truffula tree that was barely taller than me. It had a thinner trunk and a smaller tuft. But the tuft was a gorgeous, ocean-blue colour. I had no idea that blue truffulas existed! _Are there more? _I shook my head. I had traveled through a majority of the forest, and I had not once seen another blue tree. _This must be rare… _I gently pulled at the tuft; the soft, blue, material tickling my palms. I grinned. There was only enough tuft on this tree for one thneed. But maybe I can make this one for someone special: my dad. I began making quick work of the tree: pulling off the beautiful, blue tuft as quickly as I could and putting it in my hat as storage. _Yes, this will be perfect, _I thought, staring fondly at it. _I can't wait…_

* * *

I awoke in the morning to find a dreary, windy day, which was unusual for the usually sunny and bright truffula valley. Then again, it had been really windy and cold recently. I didn't care though; I was far too eager to care. I told my mom that I was taking the day off. She gave me a questionable look, but didn't seem to care either way if I took the day off, it just meant she got a day off too. I wrapped the blue thneed around my neck and headed into town.

As I strolled through the woods, I noticed something unusual: there were no animals anywhere. There were no barbaloots playing in the trees, no swomee swans singing in the sky, and no humming fish happily making melodies. _Maybe they don't like cold weather, _I thought. But the strangest thing of all was the Lorax, or the lack of him. Usually, around this time of day, he'd be nagging at me for cutting down the trees or trying to sell my thneed, but he wasn't anywhere in sight. _I guess he's tired of nagging me. Whatever. I'm sure he'll be back as soon as I return. _

I waltzed into town, humming a happy tune along the way. A few people were out and about but, for the most part, Greenville was deserted. _Out at work_, I supposed. I was pretty happy that I was nearly alone; it seemed that people liked to mob around me after my thneed became a success. _Let's see… where is it…? _I wandered around town, looking for my dad's work. I hadn't really explored the town much before, so I took my time taking in the sights. There were all sorts of shops: bakeries with fresh-baked goods in the windows, gardening stores with plants growing all around them, schools with children inside them looking completely bored… in fact, I saw the little girl that broke my guitar. She stuck her tongue out at me and I did the same back. I fixed it, but still. How rude.

Finally, I reached my destination: Greenville Construction Co. Greenville was a fairly new town, with only about 1,000 inhabitants. However, due to its beautiful surroundings, people had begun flocking here. To keep up with demands, obviously, new houses were being built on a constant basis. _Hopefully dad's here, _I thought. I walked in.

"Beanpole!" Someone immediately shouted. A man stood behind the desk, short and pale. He looked almost afraid of me. _How could he be afraid of me? _

"'Beanpole'?" I asked. "Well that was uncalled for…"

"Oh." He seemed to snap back to his senses. "I'm sorry. You just look like… never mind. How can I help you?"

"Uh… I was looking for someone." I said, feeling a bit awkward. "Uh… my dad is-"

"Oh! Are you the Once-ler?" The man asked, looking more frightened than before.

"Yes, I am. Do you know me from my thneeds?" I asked. I was surprised he hadn't recognized me sooner, to be blunt.

"Of course! That's why you look familiar! You're beanpole's kid!"

"Beanpole? You knew my dad?"

"Yes… really tall and thin, black hair, and he had a scar on his cheek. That's your dad, right?"

"Yes it is." _The scar must have been from when mom hit him. Dang… _

"Wow! Beanpole was a great guy… well, I hope you don't mind that we all called him beanpole. We all have nicknames here." He said. "But… what can I help you with, Once-ler?"

"I was wondering where I could find my dad. Is he out right now?" I asked with a dorky grin. "Actually, he was the reason I came all the way out here. I haven't seen him in years!"

"Oh…" The man said, sounding colder than before. "So… you haven't seen him yet?"

"No, I've been waiting for ten years!" I pulled the thneed off from around my neck and showed it to him. "I made this for him."

"Well that's awful nice of you, Once-ler. But…" He sighed. "I have some bad news…"

"Yeah, what is it? Is he out today?"

"Kid… your dad's dead."

* * *

My dad had died two days earlier, just when the weather had started to change. Apparently he was working on a building when a strong gust of wind knocked over a weak support structure. The building collapsed on top of him, killing him instantly. According to witnesses, it was an unpleasant sight. There was so much blood.

* * *

I don't recall how I got back home that day. It was all a blur. I didn't cry or yell or scream. I don't remember speaking another word to anyone. I don't remember walking home. I don't remember going back inside my cottage. I don't remember taking off the blue thneed and dumping it with the rest of the thneeds. I don't remember collapsing onto my bed. I don't remember any of that. All I could think about was my dad, and all of the things I could have and should have done.

_I could have saved him, _I thought. _If I had come sooner… maybe… _I shook my head. _No, stop it. It wasn't my fault… It was because of the wind knocking over the- _I stopped mid-thought. _Wait…_I looked outside my cottage window at the gray, windy sky. The wind was blowing calmer now, almost down to a breeze, but the cold air remained. _Why would the weather be like this? It's almost summer time… it can't be…_

"Oy, Beanpole!" A familiar voice shouted. It was the Lorax. Normally, I'd glare at him, or act condescending, but I didn't move. I just continued staring at the ceiling. "Hey, you alive?" He walked over to me and began pulling at my legs. "Hey!"

"What do you want?" I asked coldly.

"I want to talk to you, kid." He said.

"Same as usual, I know."

"Beanpole, I don't think you get it." He said. "I could care less about your scarf-thing, thneed, whatever. Go sell it, whatever. Just don't cut down trees to make it anymore, got it? If you do, the curse will set in and-"

He kept talking, but I didn't hear a word he said. _That was it, _I realized. _It was because of the Lorax that the weather changed. It was because of him that it got windy and cold. It was because of him that my father died. It was because of HIM._

"Hey, you okay, kid?" The Lorax asked, looking at me peculiarly. "You look a bit pale." I sat up and glared at him.

"Like you'd care." I hissed.

"I care about all living things." The Lorax stated. "Whether I want to or not."

"Yeah. That's why you're okay with cursing them and killing them." I chuckled.

"…What?" I was beginning to get impatient.

"You heard me, mustache." I claimed. I stood up, making sure to tower over the small, cocky creature. "You cursed me. All because I cut down a few trees, didn't you?"

"I didn't _curse _you. I just _warned _you. If you're not careful, something bad will-"

"It ALREADY happened!" I snapped.

"Kid, what's gotten into you?"

"Have you been outside recently?" I asked. "Look at it. Strange weather for early May, don't you think? Why is it happening?"

"What? I don't know." The Lorax claimed, eyeing me suspiciously. "I speak for the trees. That's all."

"Yeah, right." I pointed at him fiercely, raising my voice. "You're a liar, mustache! Didn't you say you were going to curse me? Until the end of my days or something like that? Well that would be just fine if that was the case. But that wasn't it."

"What are you talking about bean-"

"Stop acting dumb! And quit calling me that! It's Once-ler to you!" I shouted. "You're a liar and a jerk. If you were so mad at me, why didn't you just take it out on me? Why did you have to hurt others?"

"Kid… I have no idea what you're…"

"JUST GET OUT!" I screamed. I must of startled him, because he listened. He headed to the door.

"Be careful, kid." He said.

I strolled over to my desk and sat down again. _What am I doing? _I began to scratch at my head in frustration. _What do I do now? The whole reason I was so determined to sell my thneeds was because of my dad. What now? Should I keep going, or…_

"Onice!" It was my mom, knocking on the door. "Oncie, you in there?" I took a deep breath and tried to smile. I couldn't let her know anything that had happened.

"Yeah, it's unlocked." I said, trying to sound upbeat. "Come in!" My mother basically broke down the door, rushing in with her arms full of bulky shopping bags.

"Oncie, can you help me with the bags?" She asked.

"What's in all of these?" I asked, curiously poking through them.

"Well, since you're going to become a salesman and all…" My mom began, an uncharacteristically sweet smile on her face, "I knew we'd need to get you some new clothes. Something more professional then _that_." She looked at the gray vest I was wearing with dismay.

"But I like these clothes." I said.

"Yes I know that. But c'mon, Oncie! You're running a business now!" She eagerly pulled a bright green, pinstripe suit from one of the bags. "You'll look so handsome in this." I stared at it blankly. Mom never bought me clothes or anything nice for that matter… so why was she doing it now?

_Of course. Now that I'm a success, I'm now her favorite. She loves me now… and she's the only one I have left… I have to make her happy. I have to._

"Thanks, mom. It looks great!" I said with a beam. "I'll put that on next time I go into town."

"Oh, Oncie, I bet it'll look just charming on you!" She said with a smile.

"Yeah. Oh, I think I'll be getting back to work now."

"Oh, did you need me to get Brett and Chet to help you?"

"Nah, I have this." I grabbed my axe and headed out. "You all relax."

* * *

_I won't stop, Lorax. I have nothing to lose by your curse. A curse of nature? Ha. If nature's what's cursing me, then I will get rid of it all._

And that was it. The last link in the chain of my self-destruction. It all came to an end with one thought: _How bad can it be?_


	4. The Curse

A/N: Sorry for taking so long! Busy with finals.

* * *

The next couple of years passed in a euphoric blur. I remember, on a few occasions, I tried to befriend the Lorax and the other creatures again, but none of them would ever give me the time of day. Not that I really cared. With my mother and the rest of my family, I had all of the friends I needed. If I was that desperate, I could always just buy friends, anyways.

_After all, possessions equal affections, right?_

Anyways, life was… though I hate to admit it, paradise. Sure, I was destroying the world, but I didn't care. Everyday I made more and more money. Each day presented me with newer and greater opportunities. Each day I made more headlines, went to more meetings, and became more and more important. But most importantly, the days started and ended with my mom saying "I love you, Oncie. I'm so proud of you."

_Finally._

After years and years of horrible waiting, I was told that. The little, pathetic boy that was told he'd never amount to anything was now one of the biggest names in the corporate world. I now was in charge of a staff of thousands. Everything about me was constantly getting bigger and better.

_And honestly, who would care if a few trees were dying?_

Of course, I skipped over this portion of my life when talking with Ted. He didn't need to know about a time when I was happy, or a time when I was loved. Someone like me really didn't deserve that privilege, especially considering what I was doing amidst all of that happiness.

But all good things come to an end.

It had been a long day at work. Long meetings, late hours, stressful decisions, the whole day had been tiresome. As soon as I got to my office, I collapsed into the chair. I was thinking about taking a nap right then and there until I noticed my Thnnedville model. I had completely forgotten it was there. I smiled. I turned a small, rural town into a huge, bustling utopia. And it was all named after my invention! _So much for "never amount to anything," huh, mom? _

"So how are things?" It was the Lorax. I turned and glared at him. Whenever he came over all he did was preach and nag.

"What are you doing here?" I said. I was too tired to deal with him right now. I just wanted him to leave me alone. I didn't care what someone like him thought. Recently, I noticed, he had been acting strangely; the once gruff and outgoing attitude he once possessed seemed to be vanishing. As of late, he had been acting more… quiet and frail, to put it simply. But I paid no attention to it.

We continued talking, if you could even call it that. Realistically, it was just taunting the Lorax. I'm not sure what it was inside that made me snap like that. But it just… happened. I was tired of him. I was tired of him feigning the victim when everything that had gone wrong in my life was his fault.

"What, do I make you uncomfortable? Remind you of the promises you made?" He asked. _I will never cut down another tree… I promise, _I had said. I clenched my fist. _That was before things went to hell, _I thought. "Remind you of the man you used to be?" _That's it. _

"You know what? You can just shut your mustache!" I began to pace towards him. In comparison to the tiny creature, I was a huge, looming tower. "My conscience is clear. I have my rights, and I intend to keep on biggereing and biggereing and turning more truffula trees into thneeds!" By this point we had left the factory, and were in the desolate landscape outside. I leaned in closer to the Lorax, so that I was basically screaming into his face. "And_ NOTHING_ you say is going to _STOP_ me!" The Lorax stared back at me with large, scared eyes, but didn't say a word. In the distance I heard the beeping from one of my trucks. Somehow, it seemed louder than usual. I looked over at the sound, and saw it chop down one final tree. A lonely, pink truffula tree that was forgotten whilst all the others around it were chopped down.

"…So that's it." The Lorax said, weakly. "The very last one." He looked at me sadly. "That might stop you."

Nothing needed to be said. That was it. The last tree. With no more trees, there were no more tufts. With no more tufts, there were no more thneeds. With no more thneeds, there was no more money. With no more money, there was no more praise from my mom.

That's when it dawned on me. _What have I done? _I stood up and stared at the valley. The once beautiful, colorful forest had now turned into nothing but death and gray. Things were going to… get bad very soon.

And they did.

* * *

Two months passed, and I was in trouble. I had to fire my staff, sell the rest of the thneeds, and shut down my factory. No more money was being made. Not that it mattered to me; after all, I had more money than I ever dreamt I'd have. However, mom didn't feel the same way about it. In fact, all she did was wander into my office one day, suitcase in hand, and said:

"Son, we're leaving now."

"What?" I replied, completely dumbfounded.

"You heard me, Once-ler." She said. It was the first time in years that she hadn't addressed me as "Oncie". It was as if she was talking to a complete stranger instead of her son.

"Where are we going then?" I asked nervously.

"By we…" she placed her hand on her temple. "I mean Brett, Chet, Ebb, Griselda and me." I stared at her for a moment, unsure of what to say. _This can't be happening, _I thought. _I did all of this for her. I worked my hardest for her, broke my promises for her, and she just… leaves?_

"Wait, mom, you can't just leave me here…" I began, getting out of my chair and walking towards her.

"I'm a grown woman. I can do whatever I need to."

"W-well… Brett and Chet can think for themselves too, can't they?" I asked. "Or are you just making them do what you say as usual?"

"What are you sayin'?" She said, looking mortified. "Why, I'd never do anything against my darling sons' will, and-" Maybe it was from the stress of the past years- no, the stress of my entire life that lead to this. The pressure I had been put under to be perfect for this woman had caused me nothing but trouble in the end… and now she was blatantly lying to me. I'm not sure what it was, but for the first time ever, I talked back to her.

"Are you kidding me?" I asked. "Never do anything against your sons' wishes? Uh, hello? You were the one that told me to keep chopping down the trees! You were the one who told me to break my promise! You were the one that wouldn't let me speak my mind! How dare you even say that, and-"

The next thing I knew, I was on the floor. Mom had slapped me across the face, and it came so unexpectedly that it knocked me to the ground. All I could do was stare at her and clutch my throbbing cheek.

"How dare you say that to me. " She said, staring down at me sternly. "No son of mine will talk to me like that." Without another word, she walked out of the office. And it dawned on me. She was leaving. She was leaving me. My life had been devoted to her, and now she was… leaving.

"Wait!" I got up and chased after her. But when I got outside, she and the rest of the family had already gotten into the R.V. There was nothing more I could do. I just looked down and the ground, thinking about how bad of a son I was. The R.V. rolled up next to me and, unexpectedly, mom rolled down the window and looked at me for one brief moment. It was only to say one thing:

"Son, you have let me down." She said. That would be the last time she'd ever face me. She turned away and stated: "Bret! You are now my new favorite child." I gasped and stared. _How could she possibly favor one son over another? _I immediately regretted thinking that. After all, who was I to talk? I was happy when _I_ was her favorite. Without saying goodbye, mom and the rest of them drove off into the distance.

I would never see them again.

It was the Lorax's turn to leave next. He didn't say much; only talked about how the animals would have to go find somewhere else to live. The looks on their faces were so solemn and sad. The once happy and upbeat creatures had misery painted on their faces. Melvin joined them too. Where did he plan to go? I was his owner. And his friend. He was the first real friend I ever made.

"Melvin…?" He stared at me for a brief moment, but just continued on his way. "M-melvin…!" I stepped forward, but he just continued walking. _What have I done? _I honestly couldn't remember the last time I'd spent any time with him. Did I even have a place for him at the factory? I couldn't remember.

That's when something small and brown caught my eye: Pipsqueak. I hadn't seen nor talked to him in a long, long time. There were a few times he'd walk over to my house and cuddle with me, but soon enough he stopped visiting. Maybe it was because he knew I was doing something wrong. Or maybe it was a different reason. Whatever it was, it wasn't good. Chances our some of my machines had killed some of the forest creatures. What if I had hurt him, or someone in his family without knowing it?

"Pipsqueak…" I said, smiling gently. I pulled a marshmallow out of my pocket. Mom hated when I ate those, but I carried them around with me and snacked when she wasn't looking. "Hey, come on…" He stared at me for a moment, just like Melvin, only his look for more sad then it was condescending. He then turned and continued on walking.

The animals continued on their path, none of them bothering to even give me the time of day. Eventually they all migrated off, leaving only one creature left: the Lorax. I turned to him, but he didn't open his mouth, nor did he look like he was going to say a word. He just stared at me, with large, sad eyes. Then I noticed it. Those eyes were innocent. The Lorax was annoying and harsh but, nonetheless, innocent. Those weren't the eyes of a killer. _How could I have been so stupid?_ I took my hat off and stared at the grown, feeling something I hadn't felt in ages: _shame. _I wanted to say something to the Lorax, anything… but no amount of words could make up what I had done.

Before I could think of anything to say, he just shook his head. For a moment, the smoggy clouds parted and a bright, eerie light shone through. The Lorax gave me one last look, pulled himself up, and began to drift away. I reached my arm out, wanting to say something, anything to make him stay, but no words came out. What could I say? Nothing was going to bring him back. Nothing was going to make anything better.

And in a moment, he was gone. He vanished behind the clouds, and the light disappeared. I slumped over.

_Now what? _I looked back and saw a cluster of stones. The largest one in the center now read Unless. I gaped at it for a minute. _What could that mean? _That was when I noticed something shining right beside the stone. I kneeled down and picked it up. There, in my hand, was little, fragile, truffula seed.

The very last one.

My hand curled into a fist, and suddenly tears began to flow out of my eyes. _Why? Why did he leave this with me? I'm the one who destroyed everything! There's nothing left! I can't plant this! Is he doing this to taunt me? _

I just sat there in the pathetic gray grass, crying my eyes out. Sobbing for all the things I had done wrong, all of the things I had lost… and how nothing I could do would change anything. _Unless… _I stared at the seed. _No. _I couldn't trust myself with something that important. And there's no way I could plant it in this environment… in the wasteland I had created. I tucked the seed in my pocket and went back inside my house, a small little building on the end of the factory. I shut the door, and dumped the seed on my desk. All I could do now, it seemed, was wait.

* * *

A month passed… (I think), but things only kept getting worse. A mob of really angry people who had been laid off threw a riot. Before I knew it, the entire factory was destroyed. The only way I kept my house, my little lerkim, safe was by setting up traps all over the place. If someone so much as touched the door, there'd be a mallet out to smash them or a boot to kick them away. It's harsh, I know, but better to keep them away then to have them suffer in my presence.

I no longer left my house. I used to leave for food and supplies, but that was too risky. I had thousands of people mad at me, and I didn't want to deal with them. The last time I tried, I got beat up. Besides, I had honestly given up on life by this point. I just wanted to die. To rid my horrid plague on the world. However, I would not go about that in any way flashy; I wasn't going to shoot myself or do anything messy like that. After all, I had caused enough problems. Just rotting away in my home would be good enough. A quiet, lonely, forgetful death.

More time passed. I long lost count. I had no clocks in my house, nor any calendars. It had been a few months since the Lorax left, I supposed. My only proof being the dirty snow that fell from the sky. It was winter. But it wasn't as stunning as it used to be. Back when the trees were around, their tufts seemed to glow admits the beautiful, white snow. Now the snow had the same color as the clouds: a sludgy, depressing gray. Looking outside upset me, so I walked over to my desk. With each step, my legs ached. I hadn't eaten in… I couldn't remember. And the last time I had something to drink evaded me too. I collapsed in the chair, (My giant, red chair had been long gone), and stared at my reflection. It was disgusting. My black hair was growing longer and unruly. There were large, gray bags under my eyes. If it was possible, my body had gotten even smaller, to the point where I hated taking off my gloves. My hands were like a skeleton's. I laid my head down on the desk and just stared at my reflection.

"Oh he's a jolly good Once-ler…" I mumbled to myself. My voice sounded more like a croak now. I didn't talk much; I was alone after all. In the smogulous air, my voice deteriorated. I didn't bother trying, but I was sure I couldn't sing anymore. "I'll be dead soon enough." I sighed. "And then this curse will be over." I shut my heavy eyes, but did not sleep.

"You really think that?" The voice startled me. I looked up to find that my reflection had changed. Staring back at me was… myself. At least, a younger version of myself. Before I had become evil. He was wearing a gray vest and fedora, and stared at me with more exuberant eyes. However, his expression was cold.

"What?" I stared at myself, completely confused. I face-palmed ."I'm hallucinating. I must be."

"Call it that, if you want." He replied, smiling at me.

"Well what did you want?" I asked. "I'm kind of busy." My reflection stared at me blankly then replied:

"Busy with what? Sulking?" _God, I'm annoying, _I thought.

"Go away. I just wanna be alone."

"Alone? But you don't like being alone."

"Life's not about getting what you want." I said. "And when you do get what you want, it blows up in your face. I learned that the hard way. That's why I just want to die. To be rid of this curse."

"By dying?" He gave me an uncharacteristically menacing grin. "That's not going to work."

"…What do you mean?" I was getting a little unsettled. _What if this was one of those hallucinations that turned into a nightmare? _

"Honestly, how stupid can you be?" He asked, laughing as if he had heard the funniest joke. " Did you really think you could end a curse of nature by killing all the trees?"

"Well… I-I…" It was true. _What was I thinking back then? _It was a spur of the moment decision.

"Nature is not just trees, Once-ler. Nature is the world. Every life is a part of nature. Ever characteristic of mankind and animals alike is nature. So chopping down the tress? That wouldn't work." He quieted and continued smirking. "You're still cursed."

"Cursed by nature?" I laughed. "Then come on, nature. Come at me. Send a hurricane or something…"

"It doesn't work that way."

"What does that mean?" I screamed. I was sick of being left in the dark about everything. First, it was the Lorax's powers. Next it was unless. Now this. I was sick of it.

"Do you remember what the Lorax first said to you when you met?" He asked calmly.

"…He told me not to cut down the trees…" I said. "And he started taking apart my house."

"No, no, no. Before that." I thought for a moment, trying to remember those happy, care-free, naïve days.

"I have no idea."

"He said he spoke for the trees."

"Oh yeah… he did, didn't he?"

"Now think about that, Once-ler. The Lorax speaks for the trees. He's not nature."

"He still cursed me." I said, getting irritated. "He said that if I didn't leave, the forces of nature… oh." He never did say 'I'm cursing you.' He just warned me that nature would curse me.

"Exactly. The Lorax was the guardian of the forest. Someone who spoke for the trees who could not speak for themselves."

"So? What does that have to do with anything?"

"The Lorax speaks for the trees. He's basically a personification of them. So when you killed the trees… what, or should I say _who_ else did you kill?"

I shot straight up and stared at my reflection, who just continued smiling at me. _That was it. That's what happened. That was why, near the end, the Lorax was sounding weaker. I was killing him. I was killing him. _

_I was the killer. And I murdered my friend._

I can't remember what happened next. All I know is that, I shattered the mirror. I punched the mirror with whatever power I could muster, and shattered it into bits. The shards fell everywhere, and some even stabbed me through my clothes. But I didn't care. No, I deserved it. I looked at the scattered shards, and saw my own, pathetic face staring back. The younger me was gone. Without hesitation, I quickly left my house. I climbed to the roof, and just stood there, staring at the landscape I had ruined. I was a murderer. I had killed the forest. I had killed all the life there, all the joy there. And of course, I had killed my best friend. Someone like me didn't deserve to die of something petty and gentle like starvation. No, someone like me deserved something much more painful.

Without another bit of hesitation, I jumped. I'd hit the ground and either die on impact, or I'd freeze and bleed to death. Either way, I deserved it.

* * *

The next morning, I awoke, face planted in the snow. The gray, sludgy snow had been dyed red around where my head had landed. _No way… _I thought, sitting up. My body ached all over. I must of broken some bones… _so how was I still alive? _I moaned and rubbed my head. My green glove turned a murky brown color from the blood. There was a huge gaping hole in my head.

_What the…? _I was confused. _What was happening? Why was I still alive in this miserable place? Why? Why didn't I die? If I was being tortured by a curse, why didn't it just kill me?_

_It doesn't work that way. _

And that's when I knew. That was my punishment. My punishment was life; to live in my mistakes.

_Until the end of my days. _


	5. A Hero

**Author's Note: This is NOT the last chapter. I still got more to go. :3 But I may be slow, due to a vacation that's coming up. Either way, enjoy. **

* * *

Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months and months turned into years. I had long lost track of time, and was far too unmotivated to actually find out when it was. Near the beginning, many people came to yell about loosing jobs or money, but my traps kept them away. As the years passed, less and less people showed up. I turned out to be just another failure that was forgotten about.

I only left the house one more time. And that was to set up signs. They all said nearly the same thing: "_danger!_", "_keep out!_", "_beware!_". These were meant to keep people away… or draw in brave people. People who might be worthy of getting the truffula seed. I left one sign in front of my house. It read: _the Street of the Lifted Lorax_. I hung a lantern over it, which illuminated the words eerily. That'd be left as a reminder… of what I had done.

After my first try, I stopped attempting suicide. Well, at least not intentionally. I never tried to jump again or do anything messy like that. All I did was sit in my house without food, water or company and waited. Every once in awhile, I'd pull out the seed I had gotten, and would just stare at it… thinking of what I could do. On a few occasions, I thought about planting it, but decided against it. I had the very last hope for the trees… for the Lorax… and I couldn't just mess that up. So I decided to wait. Maybe someone would come and visit me; someone I could trust. That hope was truly the only thing that kept my soul alive for all those years.

But that hope seemed to vanish once the walls came up. The few visitors that I got, (most of which just ran as soon as they activated my traps), began decreasing in numbers. I_wonder why they put the walls up_, I thought, staring out the window through the gaps in between the boards. _Oh yeah. Because of that._ The landscape, if you could even call it that, was disgusting and depressing to look at. No wonder they locked themselves in. I did the same.

After awhile, I began to wonder my age. Or what I looked like, for that matter. The last mirror I had I smashed years ago. All I knew was that it hurt to stand up straight, and that I had grown a mustache. (I have no idea what happened to my razor.) My body kept getting smaller and bonier, and I had to keep sewing more clothes from my old, gaudy green suits to keep myself warmer. But whatever. It was just survival of the fittest.

Most of the time, I just thought. I wondered what happened to my family. _Where did they go? What did they do with their lives? Were they all still alive?_ I had lost track of the years. I could be eighty. Or I could be a hundred. Or I could be one hundred and fifty. Mom was probably gone by now. But Brett and Chet could be alive. I wondered what happened to them. Maybe they became successful, maybe they got married or had kids. Maybe they actually made mom proud. Even though we did fight a lot and my brothers did have a tendency to hit me, I didn't hate them. I laughed at the possibility of them being fathers. They'd be good with a son, but I'm not so sure about a daughter.

Sometimes I thought about my dad. I really did miss him. I missed how he'd tell me I did good. I missed how he'd hug me and tell me I did right despite what mom said. I and I missed how he'd play the guitar and sing like a dork, and how he'd ruffle my hair and tell me he was proud. It hurt to think about him though. Just knowing that I was so close to seeing him after so long… and having it explode in my face. If I hadn't let my pride get the best of me… if I had just met him instead of waiting to sell my thneed… who knows what would have happened? When my thoughts turned to this, I decided it was best to stop thinking about it. He was dead. Nothing would change that.

Every once in awhile I'd pull out dad's old guitar. Even though I bought new ones in my rich days, I never actually threw his out. And now… it was really the only part of him I had left. I tried to play it again. But something was wrong. My fingers didn't connect with the rhythms in my head, and the notes never sounded correct. It seemed in this barren wasteland, music wasn't allowed; that, or I just forgot what music sounded like.

But most of the time…I thought about my life, and the chain of events that made me do wrong, made me evil, and made me into a pathetic hermit. Some days I thought about the Lorax, and what I should've done: listened. Yes, he was a wise, guardian of the forest… but he was still my friend. And friends are supposed to listen to each other; something I overlooked. But thinking about him brought back too many good memories… which made the bad ones even worse. _How could I have been so stupid?_

* * *

One day, as I sat alone at my desk, I heard an unusual sound: footsteps. I peaked out my window, and saw a small figure walking towards my house. Based on what I saw, the person couldn't be older than thirteen or fourteen. _What was he doing here?_ Before I dwelled on it too long, he rang the doorbell. _Oh, no!_ The boy must have been standing a few feet back, because the hammer missed him completely and instead just sent him flying. I immediately pulled out the hook I had in my house, (I used it to prank people back in the old days), and grabbed him by his foot. He began to scream and grab onto the roof tiles desperately, trying to stay as far away from me as possible. I pulled him up and got a good look at him. He was a skinny preteen with short, brown hair and brown eyes.

"Who are you?" I shouted. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" I hadn't heard my own voice in ages. I sounded terrifying.

"I'm Ted… I'm Ted…" he mumbled along with a few whimpers.

"Didn't you read the signs? No one's supposed to come here!" The kid… I mean, Ted, was panicking. _He's definitely not the one_, I thought. I lowered the hook and left him on the ground. "Now go away, and leave me alone!" He got up for a moment, and looked at me in bewilderment. That's when I remembered the other trap on my house. "Oh. And don't let the boot hit you on the way out."

"The boot?" He asked, scratching his head. The boot came out, spring-loaded, and hit him hard on the back. "Ow! Ohh… okay!" He turned around and glared. "Look, someone said that if I brought you this," he pulled out some items and held them up as high as he could. "that you would tell them what happened to the trees." My eyes widened at this. _Tree?_ The word almost seemed foreign to me, as if a tree was a myth that had been long forgotten. Even when I had visitors, none of them bothered with asking about trees. All they did was get angry about what happened to the factory. I used the hook to grab him again. I never did see what the items were, but that's not what mattered at the moment.

"…_Trees_?" I asked, staring at him.

"Yeah… you know, trees. Real ones? That grow out of the ground?" He stared at me nervously, but I ignored him; lost in my own world. _The trees… it had been so long… why would a young boy about him care so much?_ "…Hello?"

"Oh." I said. I almost forgot he was there. After all, it was so weird to actually have company. "Sorry, it's just that.. .well I didn't think anyone still cared about trees."

"Well that's me!" Ted said, smiling awkwardly. "The guy who still cares!" I pulled the hook down so he fell to the ground again.

"You want to know about trees?" I stated, louder than I had spoken in years. "Want to know what happened to them?" I quieted a bit, remembering the horrible things that took place. "Why they're all gone…? It was because of me."

"What?" Ted shouted from below. I sighed. I pulled down the tube that I once used as part of a PA system at my factory. I lowered it to Ted's level and shouted:

"IT WAS BECAUSE OF ME!" He coughed and leaned away a bit. "And my invention, the thneed! It was an amazing invention, that could do the job of a thousand!"

"Wow…" Ted laughed shyly. "Well… that's cool." That honestly surprised me. Most people didn't compliment my invention on first sight. In fact, most people laughed and jeered and threw things at me. But this kid… he was different.

"You're darn right it was cool." I replied. "Now it all started a long time ago…"

* * *

After a few interruptions from Ted, I started my story. I skipped straight to the part where I left to the truffula tree valley. After all, he didn't need to know about my dad. That was all just frivolous information that would actually evoke pity for me. I didn't need pity. I needed hatred. But while I was telling the story, something strange happened… I almost felt happy. I hadn't talked this much in ages. And telling the story was almost fun. It was almost like re-living it again. In all honesty, the times I spent with the Lorax, (after the whole river incident), before I snapped, were some of the happiest times of my life. Truly happy times. Not the fake happiness that came with money during my biggering days. Sometimes during the story, I caught myself smiling. I could almost smell the tufts of the trees. I could almost hear the rumbling of the river, the hums of the fish, the swomee swan's songs. I could almost feel the green grass beneath my feet, the wind through my hair, the silky tufts in my hands and I almost felt as if pipsqueak was snuggling against me. It was a strange sensation, to say the least. When I thought about my past while I was alone… I didn't feel anything but sadness. But now, while discussing this with Ted… I felt almost happy. _Almost._

_Stop grinning, idiot._ I thought._I have to keep my guard up. I have to make sure I can trust this Ted kid. _

"And you'll never believe what happened that night!" I said enthusiastically. I was at the part of the story where the Lorax dumped my bed in the river.

"What? What happened next?" Ted asked eagerly.

"If you want to hear the rest…" I began, "Come back tomorrow." If Ted was truly trustworthy, he'd do it. He protested a bit, but Ted agreed to return tomorrow. I watched from my window as he ran off… half expecting that he'd never return. He was my last hope… and it had been a long time since I had hoped at all.

"Maybe." I said to myself. "Just… maybe."

To my surprise, he did return the next day. But, just him returning wasn't good enough to deem him as trustworthy.

"Why are you so interested in trees, anyways?" I asked. "Why aren't you like other kids…" I had to think for a moment. _What were the kids into these days?_ T_he last time people came over, what were the main fads?_ "Y'know, break dancing and wearing the bell bottoms and playing the donkey kongs!"

"Uh… yeah…" Ted said, giving me an odd look. _Maybe that's not what's popular anymore._ "I don't know… I just thought it'd be cool to, you know, have one." He looked down and seemed kind of nervous.

"Uh-huh. It's a girl isn't it?"

"What?" He asked, his face getting a little redder. _Bingo. It was definitely a girl. _

"Well when a guy does something stupid once, that's because he's a guy. But when he does the same stupid thing twice well… it's usually for some girl." I immediately regretted saying that. I was an awkward guy and never had a girlfriend, so I hoped he wouldn't ask how I knew that. Because I cut down the trees once because I was stupid, and did it again for my mom.

"Hey she is not some girl!" Ted protested, pouting adorably. "She's a woman. In high school. …And she really likes trees. So I'm going to get her one." He looked up at me, as if looking for approval. _That's not the best reason to want a tree_, I thought. I was about to tell him to leave, but I thought for a moment. He was the only visitor I had in a long, long while. And it must have taken a lot of determination to get all the way out to me. More than once. Even if it was for some girl, he did seem pretty interested in my story, which was unexpected. But when he looked up at me, a small blush on his face as he thought about that girl he liked, I noticed something. His eyes. They were wide and innocent, just like the Lorax. Ted was trustworthy, innocent, and overall just _good_. Something I had completely failed to be.

"Aww. How nice to see someone so undeterred by something like reality." I said bitterly.

"Thank you." Ted replied. _Smart move_, I thought. _Adding sarcasm to my sarcasm._ I sighed and then continued my story. He continued to stay interested in my life, and made very few interruptions. But, again, I stopped the story and told him to come back tomorrow. It wasn't because I didn't trust him anymore; no, I was just… too anxious about what came next in my story. _How would Ted react? Would he get mad? Would he hate me? If he had any brain at all… the answer would be yes. _

He returned again the next day, seeming rather… eager. I looked down and noticed he was holding something in his hands.

"What've you got there?" My face lit up. _Marshmallows!_ I hadn't had marshmallows in ages. "Ahh! Bring them here!" I lowered my pipe, and he dumped the marshmallows in. They were delicious. I hadn't had anything to eat in so long, but marshmallows were something a delicacy to me. _What I wouldn't give for some warm pancakes right about now,_ I thought. "Alright," I said. "Picture this: sun shining, blue sky, a perfect day. It was all downhill from there…" Without further ado, I finished telling my miserable tale of greed, evil and self-destruction. I, of course, left out my father from the story; he didn't need to know about that. I also left out another element of the story: how happy I was during those evil times. I summarized it is all. He needed to know I did bad and destroyed everything. He didn't need to know that I even gained an ounce of happiness from it all. Because I didn't deserve that.

My story ended with the Lorax leaving. Then there was silence.

"So… this really is your fault." Ted said finally. I didn't say anything. There was no getting around that; it was the truth. "You destroyed everything."

"…Yes." I said. He sounded sad, but not angry. That was unexpected. "And everyday since the Lorax left, I've been sitting here, regretting everything I've done. And just staring at that word, _unless_, and just wondering what it means. And I'm beginning to think that maybe you're the reason the Lorax left that there."

"W-what?" Ted asked, genuinely confused. "Me? Why me?"

"Because." I sighed. "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, it's not going to get better… it's not." Ted said nothing, so I left the window and went to my desk. I went though a drawer that was full of old relics: my old tea kettle, some thread and sewing needles, and a couple of old family photos. Near the bottom, I found it: the seed. I grasped it in my hand tightly, contemplating what I was doing. _Should I really trust this seed, the last hope for the entire world, to Ted?_ I took a deep breath and nodded. Y_es. If anyone is to get this seed, it's him._ I walked over to the window, outstretched my arm, and dropped the seed below. Ted caught it and then stared at it with wide eyes, as if it was the most delicate piece of china in the world.

"It's the last seed." I stated. "You need to plant it Ted."

"What?" Ted protested. "But no one cares about trees anymore!"

"Then make them care! Plant the seed in the center of town, where everyone will see it! Change the way things are!" Suddenly, words poured through my mind, I had to motive him, in any way that I could. "Because it's not about what it is… it's about what it can become…" I said. I could feel myself choking up. Even though I had been living in self-hatred and agony for years, I never actually cried. But now, after giving up the only thing left of the Lorax… and leaving it all to one little hope, I felt like I was going to lose it and burst into tears. "That's not just a seed… anymore than you're just a boy."

Ted stared at the seed then… smiled. He clenched it in his fist, put it safely in his pocket and then hopped on his bike.

"I won't let you down." He said. He then turned away and drove off. I looked away from the window, drying my eyes.

"I know." I said, weakly.

* * *

I spent the rest of the day worrying. Worrying about what could happen. _What if Ted got into an accident? What if he lost the seed? What if it got stolen? What if, what if, what if._ All I could do was hope. Hope that nothing would happen. But my pessimism had gotten the best of me over the years. I assumed that something was going to happen, and that nothing would change the world, ever. I finally collapsed into a chair by the window, and stared out into the horrible wasteland that remained a dreary continuity for the past… who knows how long. But something… was different. I could see something glowing in the distance that wasn't usually there. _What was it?_ I grabbed my old axe and cut off the boards I had against my window for so long. In the distance, Thneedville was glowing radiantly. This was unusual. The wall blocked the light. _Had it been knocked down?_ I strained to hear… because I swear I could hear voices in the distance. It sounded like singing, which wasn't unusual for the quirky city.

"_Let it grow, let it grow, let the love inside you show…_"

It couldn't be…

"_It's just one tiny seed, but it's all we really need…_"

Ted couldn't have possibly…

"_It's time to vanquish all your greed, imagine Thneedville flowered and tree'd…_"

Did he really…

"_Let this be our solemn creed…_" Tears sprung into my eyes as I gazed at the city. Ted had done it. He had proved to the entire city what was wrong with world. And he was going to fix it. Fix everything that I had messed up.

"Thank you, Ted." I said, barely a whisper. I got away from the window, breaking into sobs. Words couldn't describe how grateful I was of him. He was a listener, he was trustworthy, and he was something I certainly wasn't:

A hero.


	6. My Name

It, of course, took time for the trees to grow, but things slowly got better. I still didn't leave my house; I was so used to being indoors that the thought of leaving almost scared me. Maybe it was because the last time I was outside… things weren't very good. But eventually, the land that was once a barren, depressing wasteland began to show signs of its original self: small patches of grass were growing here and there, and new truffula trees were forming. After Ted had planted the first seed, fruit grew on it rather quickly. And with the fruit came more seeds and with the seeds came more trees. Ted and the girl he liked- I think her name was Audrey- came to plant a few around my house.

"They're going to need water." Audrey had said. She gave me a yellow watering can and left it on my door step. "Just in case you feel like helping them." Eventually I left the house and grabbed it. _A watering can… haven't seen one of these in ages,_ I thought. I pondered on it for awhile… but one day, I just decided I'd go outside. I had had enough. I had enough of being cooped up. I had enough of just staring and waiting for things to change. I wanted to see it for myself this time.

I opened the front door with my shaky hands and sighed. Everything felt different. The air didn't hurt to breathe. I had lived in such a smoggy area for so long that I was used to my lungs aching… but now the air felt almost… refreshing? _Would that be the word for it?_ I smiled. Things were definitely beginning to look up. I clutched the watering can in my arms. It was certainly heavy. _Oh well_, I thought. _A little weight lifting couldn't hurt._ _Besides, it's worth it for the plants._ Ted and Audrey eventually found out that I had virtually no food or water in my house, so every time they'd visit they would bring me random snacks and water bottles. I hardly ever touched them though. It felt so foreign to eat or drink that I just didn't see the need to use them. It's not like I'd die anytime soon anyways. I decided to put the water to good use today.

As I went around watering the little saplings, my back ached. How long had it been since I had walked? _Good god I'm pathetic_, I thought. I continued watering a few trees when a shadow passed overhead. I turned and couldn't believe my eyes: a swomee swan flew above me, chirping happily as it passed. I almost dropped the watering can in astonishment. _This can't be happening… can it? Are the animals really coming back?_ I wondered. _What if the barbaloots come back, or the humming fish or even…?_ I stopped my thoughts there. I was already sure that I would never see the Lorax again. That was a stupid hope. I killed him; he was not coming back.

I decided not to dwell on it. I was outside where the sky was no longer gray and grass and trees were no longer dead. I should be enjoying myself. At least a little. That's when I felt something warm against my back. It felt like the sun heating up my clothes, but it was far too hot to be that. I turned and nearly felt my heart leap out of my chest. The few clouds in the sky had parted, and beautiful, bright light was shining between them. Engulfed in that light was… the Lorax. Just as hid did when he left, he was floating and drifting lazily towards his destination. He eventually landed on the ground and just smiled at me. The Lorax never smiled.

A million thoughts were rushing through my mind. _He's back. I thought he was dead but… he's back. What do I say to him? What should I say to him? Is he mad at me? Has he forgiven me? What do I do?_ Most of all, I was just completely amazed that I was staring at him, the Lorax, the guardian of the forest, whom I killed. He was just there. Standing right in front of me. As if nothing had happened over the past who knows how many years. All I could manage was a laugh. I laughed at the absurdity of it all. Then I just hugged him. Maybe it was to see if he was real. Maybe it was because I was insane. But I think it was because I could tell, just from the small smile on his face, that he was my friend. He hugged me back, a bit awkwardly at first, but he still seemed happy nonetheless.

"You done good beanpole." He chuckled. "You done good." I smiled back at him, feeling as if I were going to cry. "…By the way, nice mustache." I laughed. The Lorax really hadn't changed.

* * *

Things got better quickly from that point on. The animals slowly began to return: first was the swomee-swans, then the valley began to fill with the familiar sound of barbaloots playing happily. Ted, Audrey and even the Lorax visited constantly. Ted was always rambling about his family and Thneedville, but mostly about Audrey. When Audrey visited, all she did was talk about the trees. It surprised me greatly. She knew more about the trees than I did, and she wasn't even born when they were around! She was an interesting girl to say the least. She and Ted were both cute kids. What I wouldn't give to be naïve, innocent kids like them again.

Of course, the visits I looked the most forward to were from the Lorax. He'd complain about me and my presence, but he seemed to genuinely enjoy spending time around me. We'd play cards and pick on one another, but overall just have a good time. He treated me kinder this time around, and I did the same to him. Everything was perfect.

Well, almost.

I wasn't feeling very good recently. It took for more effort as of late to actually get myself out of bed. Which was strange because, for the first time in years, I actually wanted to get out of bed. As of late, I found myself wheezing and hacking more often, just when the air was starting to get clean.

The worst part was, I knew why it was happening. But I wasn't going to let it ruin my renewed life.

I was trudging in the newly growing grass, looking for the river. It was a bright, sunny day, as usual. I was to play cards with the Lorax again. The same spot by the river where we had all those years ago… the time when I first realized that he was my undisputable friend. I squinted. I still really hadn't gotten used to it being sunny out.

"Oi! Beanpole!" The Lorax shouted from a distance. "What, are you, blind or something?" It took me a moment, but I spotted him. He was a little orange speck in the distance, surrounded by green grass and shiny, slick rocks.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." I said. As I got closer, I noticed that sitting next to him was a rather large barbaloot, and an older-looking swomee-swan.

"I brought some friends." The Lorax said happily. I sat down and immediately the barbaloot scurried towards me and nuzzled against my leg. _It couldn't be. _

"Pipsqueak?" I asked. The bear nodded at me. I hugged him tightly. "Wow, I've missed you, buddy!" I exclaimed. "I didn't know they lived this long." I said to the Lorax.

"They do." The Lorax replied. "Can't say the same about humming fish though. They're always getting themselves into trouble. Now put down Pipsqueak! It's time to play,"

"Well what are we playing?" I asked, picking up my hand of cards.

"Poker… I think." The Lorax responded.

I laughed. It really was like old times. Playing cards was one of our usual activitves. Then we'd just chat. Usually he'd leave because he'd have to "check on things" in the newly growing forest. It must be a tough job to be a guardian of the forest.

"Fine, you win!" The Lorax shouted, exasperated. He threw his losing hand at me. "I need to go anyways." He said, turning his back to me. "Stupid beanpole, always getting royal flushes…", he muttered.

"Hey, Lorax?" I asked, gentler than usual.

"Oh, what do you want, a rematch?" He asked.

"No, not that. I just…" I looked around nervously. "Can I hug you?"

"What? Why do you want that? You're turning into a creepy old man." The Lorax protested.

"I know, it's just…" I sighed. "I haven't touched anything with my own hands in years. And I want to truly hug you."

"…What is wrong with you?" The Lorax asked.

"I'm a reminiscent old man." I said. "And I still can't believe that you're here. I honestly thought… that I had killed you. I still think that I might be in a dream."

"That's stupid." The Lorax said, rolling his eyes. "Besides, if you want a reminder that you're not dreaming, I could just punch you in the face."

"No thanks." I said. He glanced around to make sure no one was looking, then turned his back to me. "Fine, you can hug me. But make it quick, beanpole." I took off my gloves and pulled the tiny creature into a tight hug. He was warm and furry just like before.

"Sorry, that was a weird request." I said, putting him down. He just stared at me, a rather grim expression on his face.

"What happened to you, beanpole?" He asked.

"…huh?"

"Your hands. Look at them." I glanced down at my bare hands. I hadn't seen them in over… what? Fifty years? They were ridiculously pale; almost snow-white. My skin was nearly as thin as paper, and it almost looked as if I had skeleton hands.

"Oh… uh…" I was so used to looking like a freak that I forgot it may seem like a shock to people who had seen me before. "I guess you could say I've lost some weight?"

"Beanpole…" The Lorax looked at me seriously now. "How long have you been inside that house? Haven't you left?"

"No." I said, staring at my home… or prison. Whichever you prefer to call it. "I've been in there basically since you left."

"Well how did you get things to eat? Or drink?"

"…I didn't." I finally said.

"Well, how are you even-"

"Alive?" I interrupted. "I have no idea. I think it's your curse. But whatever. I had it coming, anyways. So-" I started coughing heavily. I fell to my knees hacking uncontrollably.

"Hey!" The Lorax rushed over to me. "Kid, are you alright? What's happening?" I couldn't speak to him. It suddenly hurt tremendously to breath. Each breath I took felt like a knife to the lungs. My throat felt horribly dry. My stomach was in agonizing pain from lack of food. All of the things that should have happened to me naturally during that time I spent locked in my house were all happening at once.

"…Hey…" I croaked.

"What, what, what is it? This better not be some kind of joke, beanpole!" His green eyes were wide with worry. It was funny. He seemed to fuss over any living creature when they were in trouble. Even someone like me.

"What's that noise?" I asked weakly. It was a faint sound in the distance. It was the sound of cheerful singing. No, not singing. There were no words. Just melodic hums.

"It's the humming fish." The Lorax said in disbelief. "Kid, they're coming back!"

"..Oh. So that's it." I choked out a laugh that turned into more coughing.

"What's happening to you?" The Lorax asked, focusing on me again.

"You don't get it?" I said, in between hacks. "The curse has been broken."

"The curse?"

"Yeah… the one you placed on me all those years ago." I coughed some more. Now I could taste blood in my mouth. "It's what's kept me alive… for so long…"

"Then why's it stopping now?" The Lorax asked. "That doesn't make sense!"

"Because…" I collapsed to the ground entirely, my legs to weak to even hold me up in a kneeling position anymore. "Everything's back to normal… the trees, the animals, _you_. They're all back…"

"Ok, ok, just stop talking." The Lorax said. "I'm not going to let you die. I'm the guardian of the forest. And I will keep you alive."

"Both you and I know…" I said, my eyes getting blurry. "That it doesn't work that way."

"Don't say that!" I shut my eyes. "Beanpole, look at me!" I could hear the agitation in his voice. "Wake up, Once-ler!"

I smiled. He had called me by name.

That was the last thing I heard. Then I slipped into the darkness.

* * *

_Author's Note: THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER I SWEAR MORE STUFF IS GOING TO HAPPEN. _


	7. Guardian of the Forest

_Author's Note: It starts with Ted's POV. _

* * *

It was a dreary, overcast day when the funeral took place. Very few people showed up, likely because a majority of the people that knew of the Once-ler were dead, had moved away, or held a deep hatred for him. I brought Grammy with me. She was bitter towards him as well, but she just told me, "He was a man that made mistakes, not a monster." Mom tagged along of course, because she might as well "pay respects to the man that helped my little Teddy save the world." I was genuinely shocked, however, by Audrey's willingness to come along. After all, he was the man who killed nature, ruined the world, and cut down all of the trees that were so precious to her.

"Of course I'll go." Audrey had said, a gentle smile on her face. "Why wouldn't I?" Regardless of what had happened, I was still nervous when talking to her.

"W-well, I thought you kind of… uh, hated him?" I said bluntly.

"Hate?" Audrey said, pondering it for a moment. "Didn't anyone tell you that hate is a strong word?" She sighed. "I don't… _didn't_ hate him. I thought I might, but he was different than I pictured. I mean, he seemed like he genuinely cared about the trees now. Did you notice how happy and… I dunno, at peace he seemed when he was helping the plants with me? He definitely changed. And I respect that."

"Well, uh… thanks." I said, almost a little jealous that she could get so passionate when talking about a weird old man like the Once-ler. But… _in the end he was my fried, wasn't he?_ I was going to miss him.

We buried him near a patch of newly growing trees. H_e would've been happier that way_, I supposed. We stood in silence for a moment, unsure of what to say. It felt so surreal. The Once-ler was, though not in a good way, a sort of a legend himself. And he had… _died_. It seemed so odd that a man that had so much impact on the world could be the same as anyone else. But that's the way life works. Everyone dies in the end.

"Ted, hon." Mom said, jabbing my shoulder. "Did you… want to say a few words?"

"Me? Why me?" I asked, suddenly nervous.

"Because, Ted." Grammy said, "You knew him the best out of all of us. Even me!"

"Well, I…" I gulped, then stepped forward. "The Once-ler…" I stared down at the dirt, and sighed. W_hat was I supposed to say?_ "The Once-ler was… an unexpected friend. I mean, what were the chances that… a small kid like me would go all the way out here to meet him? It's so unreal to believe that everything worked out okay. At first, I was… scared. I was going to meet an old man that hardly anyone had heard of in the middle of nowhere. Think of all the things that could have gone wrong with that. But he was different than I expected. He wasn't some scary monster or a serial killer or a cannibal or something like that. No, he was just a sad, lonely, old man. But he was one hell of a story teller."

"Ted!" Mom snapped.

"Sorry!" I said. Audrey and Grammy just laughed. "Anyways, I got to know more about him. His life, what he had done right, what he had done wrong… and I learned something. Just because he had done something bad doesn't mean he was the bad guy. Everyone has two sides."

"Except O'Hare." Grammy muttered.

"Shh!" Mom said.

"…As I was saying," I said, smiling at my grandma's silliness. "The Once-ler wasn't evil. He had been bad, but his heart had been in the right place. Just like me, he had set out to make a girl happy. For him it was his mom. For me it was…" I stared at Audrey for a moment. But I was far too nervous to actually admit it. "…someone I liked." I simply stated. "But the Once-ler made his mom happy by making bad choices. Luckily my results…" I gazed up at the trees that were slowly forming all around. "…didn't end up as bad." I took another deep breath, finally getting the overwhelming realization that the Once-ler really was gone. Despite what I had thought about him at first… "He was my friend." I stated. "One of the best ones I've ever had. And I know he was bad at some points in his life; I'm not going to deny it. But deep in his heart… the Once-ler was a truly kind person. And I'm happy to call him my friend." I could feel myself getting choked up, but I held it back; there was no way I was going to cry in front of Audrey, especially with my family around. "I know I've only known him for a few years. But I'm going to miss him. I'm going to miss his sarcasm, his random bursts of enthusiasm, the way he lit up when he talked about the Lorax and his invention and happier times. I'll never forget him." I stared down at the ground again. "I won't let you down." I finally said. I stood there awkwardly for a moment. _Should I say more?_ I couldn't think of anything else, really.

In the distance, we could hear thunder booming. The dark clouds were gathering overhead, and rain began to fall heavily from the sky. The water had been polluted for so long that it was dangerous to be outside while it was raining. It was getting better, but we still had to be cautious.

"Come on, Ted, Audrey, get in the car!" Mom beckoned, waving for us hastily.

"B-but-" I began.

"No buts, Ted. I don't want anything happening to you." She said. "We can come back later, alright?" She grabbed Audrey and me by our wrists and pulled us towards the car. I turned for a moment, but it was hard to see with the sudden rain. But I swear I saw something slumped over by where we buried the Once-ler. Something orange.

* * *

I decided to pay another visit the next day. Unfortunately, I had to come alone. Mom had work and so did Audrey. And Grammy… well, she had to go to a snowboarding competition. No matter what changed, she would always remain her eccentric, energetic self. I revved up my old, red scooter. I hadn't used it in awhile, and I was getting a little too tall for it. It was strange to think that it had been two years since my fateful encounter with the Once-ler. So much had changed since then. The world was getting just a little brighter, the trees were starting to grow… I'd be starting high school soon and-… good _god_, I'd be starting high school soon! Definitely wasn't looking forward to that. _At least I get to be in the same school as Audrey_, I figured. I began to drive through town. I glanced at the scenery of Thneedville. It had changed greatly too. The fake trees had been replaced with real ones, same with the grass and flowers. The town was still as colorful as before, but now the color was real, instead of just plastic and paint.

I kept heading down the road out of Thneedville. After I had knocked it over, all of the walls were eventually torn down. Some people meandered out into the forest to enjoy the sights, and some even went down the mysterious, twisty road, to see if there was anything out there. After all, no one in Thneedville had ever left before. I drove down the old road, passing by happy barbaloots playing together, and eager kids watching from the distance. A few humming fish swam through the slowly rising river, humming happy, familiar tunes. Swomee-swans flew through the sky, singing cheerful melodies as they passed. The path had changed to its old, familiar self. Old billboards were torn down and gotten rid of, as well as the dangerous axe-machines. Everything was clearing up. _So then why did he have to die_, I wondered, _just as things were getting to be better? _

Finally, I arrived at the Once-ler's house and hopped off my scooter. I was about to go back to where we had buried him, when I saw a small bush of pretty flowers blooming to the side. _Maybe I should put some flowers on his grave_, I thought. I headed towards them and reached my hand out when suddenly, a small, orange arm grabbed a hold of my wrist. It startled me enough that I toppled over backwards with a scream.

"What do you think you're doing?" A scruff voice asked. A small, round, furry creature walked out from behind the bush, a glare plastered across his mustached face.

"It- it's you!" I stammered. "The Lorax!"

"You know me?" He asked. His curious gaze soon returned to a glare. "Well, if you know me, kid, you should know I don't like people touchin' my plants!"

"Yes! Yes, I know that, I'm sorry!" I said, wiggling my arm out of his grasp.

"Hmm…" The Lorax said, staring at me. "How exactly do you know me?"

"What? Oh, that." I frankly wasn't sure how the Lorax would react to me if I told him I was a friend of the Once-ler's. He might scoff at me or assume I was a plant-killer like him. I got up and tried to look as innocent as I could. "It was just, um, a story I heard."

"Really?" He said, raising an eyebrow. "Cause you'd be the first kid that's seen me that hasn't said 'Oooh, mommy, look at the little orange teddy bear!' or , 'what's that thing? It's so cute, can I have it?'." He continued glaring at me. "Kid, I'm not well-known. I'm only well-known in the animal community. So tell me. How do you know who I am?"

"Fine, fine." I said. I extended my arm out again, to shake his hand. "My name is Ted. I'm a friend of-"

"Ted, huh?" He sounded shocked but he sure didn't show it. "You're beanpole's friend, aren't you?"

"…Yes. You mean the Once-ler, right? Did he talk about me?" I asked.

"Only all the time." The Lorax said, rolling his eyes. He shook my hand anyway. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Ted."

"…It is?" I asked. "I thought you… uh, didn't like humans?"

"Don't like humans? No, that's not it." He replied. "I love, and care, for all of nature's creatures. It's just… humans I'm the most wary about."

"Oh, okay."

"So, Ted, what brings you out here?"

"I… I was just visiting a friend." I said, still confused as to whether or no the Lorax was 'okay', so to speak, with the Once-ler.

"Friend? There's no one out here. Just spit it out kid, you're here to see the Once-ler, aren't you?" He said coldly.

"Yeah. And I was going to put some flowers on his grave, but that's a bad idea in hindsight."

"Eh, don't worry about decorating. I have it covered." He beckoned me to follow him, and we walked in silence to the Once-ler's grave. A circle of rocks surrounded it.

"You did that, huh?" I said, just staring blankly at the grave.

"Yeah. That's how nature mourns. No killing plants, no disturbing nature, just a small, simple, memorable grave."

"Yeah, the Once-ler told me about that. He said that after he cut down the tree, someone had put rocks around it."

"He really trusted you." The Lorax glanced up at me. "He had better judgment than I thought."

"I guess…?" I said, a little embarrassed. _Was he complimenting me? _

"I mean it, kid. I doubt any other kids nowadays would've done what you did. So for that, I thank you."

"Uh… no problem…" I said nervously. We stood silently for a moment, just staring at the small rock circle. "Hey, Lorax," I finally said, "Did you… um, were you friends with him?"

"…Sort of. Depends on the time. I never really hated him. I pride myself in not hating anyone. But it's safe to say he hated me for awhile. You see, when his family first-"

"No, I've heard that part. He listened to his mom instead of you. I want to know what you actually think."

"Well… alright." The Lorax sighed. "The Once-ler was a diluted, selfish, naïve, stupid, self-absorbed, greedy, arrogant kid. But he was still a good man, deep down. He just lived his life following only his dreams instead of using his mind. In the end, he was a kind, wise, man."

"…Yeah." I said simply. The Lorax had known him longer. He could summarize him better than I could.

"I'm gonna miss him too."

"Then… why did you let him die?" I asked.

"What?"

"It was the curse, right? That was what was keeping him alive. If you like him, why'd you end it?"

"You're just like him." The Lorax said. "So simplistic. It doesn't work that way."

"What does that even mean?"

"It means, I'm not nature. I'm just a messenger. I'm not the clouds in the sky or the trees in the ground or the water in the rivers. I'm just a little orange blob of fur. I protect nature. That's all."

"I… guess I understand." I said. "But what makes a guardian of the forest?"

"Hm… I'm surprised beanpole didn't ask that." The Lorax gazed at the valley for a moment. "Did you know… that this wasn't the first time the forest was destroyed?"

"It wasn't?"

"No. But when it was first destroyed, there were no people around. It was a long time ago. Hundreds of years ago. Long before beanpole showed up."

"Well, what happened?"

"Simple. It was a drought year. No water was in the river, everything was dry, then there was a lightening storm. The valley was scorched. That's why I was created. A small creature needed to be there to make sure nothing like that happened again. A creature that could help stop natural events, and fix the damages that they caused. Every once in awhile there'd be a fire or a storm, but I could handle rebuilding after it. But the Once-ler… was a completely different story. You know, I wouldn't be surprised if another guardian came into existence soon."

* * *

After my meeting with the Lorax, I rarely saw him around. _Helping the animals resettle and helping the trees thrive_, I assumed. I came to visit the valley often. Sometimes it'd be to help plant with Audrey. Sometimes it'd be to reminisce with Grammy about her childhood and the trees. But sometimes I just went alone, and visited the Once-ler's old shack. I don't know why I came there so often; the empty shell of a house just saddened me. Usually when I went there, I'd just sit alone on the front steps, or water some of the new budding trees. That's what I was planning on doing today. With me, I brought a bag of marshmallows I'd leave on the Once-ler's grave, and a watering can so I could water the plants. When I arrived at the house, I heard a strange sound: the strumming of a guitar and some faint singing in the distance. _Probably some teens from town_, I thought. A lot of kids a bit older than I liked to go out into the forest and play their guitars and sing. I didn't understand why, really. The swomee swans and humming fish provided beautiful music on their own. I began to water the blooming plants with ease, and the music stopped.

"Hey! Who's there?" A voice shouted. I was confused. _What did it matter? Didn't the forest belong to everyone?_ I didn't reply and heard footsteps coming towards me. A tall, skinny man towered above me, wearing gray striped pants, a gray vest and a fedora. In his hands was a guitar. He was the one making the music. I looked up at him, but the sunlight made it hard to see his face. "A ha!" He giggled. "Ted, my boy! You brought me marshmallows!" He stanched the bag from my hand, and began popping them into his mouth.

"…What are you doing?" I asked, completely confused.

"Eating marshmallows." He said, giving me a questioning look. His eyes were bright green. Much like the Lorax's and Audrey's. He dropped the marshmallow bag and smiled exuberantly. "Oh, I forgot! Ted, I'm slowly remembering how to play! Listen to this!" He began strumming the guitar and singing random words.

"Um… sir…?" I said blankly. He didn't respond. He was too lost in his own song. Eventually he stopped and gave me a huge grin. "How did it sound, Ted?"

"Uh… that was great, man…" I said, smiling awkwardly. "But how do you know my name?"

"What? Of course I know who you are, Ted! You planted the seed, helped change the world, helped create… this!" He grabbed my shoulder then pointed out into the horizon.

"So… you're from town?" I asked.

"What? No, Ted, I'm the Once-ler." He said, a blank, confused expression on his face.

"What? No, you can't be…" It was all starting to add up. The way he talked was like the Once-ler. He was obsessed with marshmallows. Called me "Ted, my boy". His eyes nearly looked the same as the Once-ler's, but they were… green.

Needless to say I fainted.

I woke up later, back at my own house. Apparently the Once-ler took me home, (but nearly crashed my bike ten times). When I asked what happened, he did what he did best. He told me a story.

* * *

I shrieked, and then proceeded to run in a circle, flailing. _What happened to Ted? Is he okay? Did I scare him? How did he forget about me? Is he sick? What do I do?_ I looked around frantically, looking for a familiar face, or something.

"Hey, Lorax!" He was the only one I knew of out here. "Loraxxxxx! Are you out there?" I wanted to search for him, but I didn't want to leave Ted behind. There was only one way to immediately summon the Lorax. I strolled over to a newly growing truffula tree, whispered, "I'm sorry about this," and began to tug at it.

"Hey!" A gruff voice shouted from afar. I turned, it was him. The Lorax was running at me, furiously, and looked about ready to punch me in the face. That was expected, I suppose. But right before he ran into me, he stopped abruptly in his tracks and just stared at me.

"…Beanpole?" He asked, giving me a questioning look. "Is that you?"

"Yes, yes, of course it's me! Why are you all so surprised by this?" I said in aggravation.

"It's just…" He finally noticed Ted. "What did you do to the kid?"

"I didn't do anything! I just told him I was the Once-ler, and then he just collapsed! I swear!"

"…Okay, I believe you."

"…You do. You do? That's great!" I said. "Now, oh guardian of the forest. Tell me what's wrong with him."

"What, the kid? He's just shocked. Put him on your bed in your house. We need to discuss more important things."

"More important things?" I asked. "Uh, hello? There is a passed out kid here!"

"Believe me, there's more important things right now!"

"Ugh. Fine, if you insist. Hold my guitar." I threw my guitar at the Lorax, who was immediately crushed by it. I carried Ted inside my house and put him on my bed. Then I looked around. It had gotten dusty. _Have I been out long?_ When I stopped to think about it, I don't remember how I'd gotten outside with my guitar. It was all a blur._ Maybe the Lorax will tell me? _

"Come with me." The Lorax said. He gestured me to follow him, and I complied. We walked in silence to the river. However , he kept glancing up at me as if he had… seen a ghost or something. "Here we are."

"It's a river. Why did you bring me here?" I said, still worried about Ted.

"Look in the river, idiot." I stepped towards the water and glanced in. Then proceeded to scream and fall backwards at the sight of my own reflection.

"What? How? That's not me! It can't be!" I touched my face. My mustache was gone. I felt no wrinkles. I stared at my hands. They were smooth and human-like instead of those bony things they used to be. I was even in my old clothes, my grey pants and vest that I hadn't seen in so long.

"That would be why the kid fainted." The Lorax said, patting my shoulder.

"HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?" I asked, shaking him. "What happened to me? I don't remember anything! I was talking to you… then the Hummingfish came back… then…"

"You died." The Lorax said coldly. I dropped him.

"W-what?"

"Follow me again." He said. He began walking away. I took one last glance at my young face in the water, then followed him. He lead me back to my house, to where the Unless stone once stood. Beside it was a large oval made from rocks that surrounded a mound of dirt that looked as if it had been buried a few months ago. It was surrounded by freshly growing flowers and new trees.

"That's my…" I began, feeling a chill run down my spine.

"Yes. That's the actual reason Ted came today." He said. I collapsed in front of it and just stared. I was staring at my own grave. I was dead. _So what happened? Was this all some kind of joke? No, it couldn't be. The Lorax couldn't just make me young again! _

"How did this… happen?" I asked. "The curse of nature kept me alive. I should have been dead years ago. But when I do die, I just… come back? I don't get it…"

"This is the first time something like this has happened." The Lorax said. He then proceeded to walk forward and kick me in the shins, knocking me over.

"Owww!" I whined. "Hey, what was that for?"

"I needed to get a better look at you." He stared at me intently. "Your eyes changed color."

"Did they?" I wasn't really paying attention to that when I saw my reflection. I was more focused on how my face had become younger again. "What color are they?"

"Green. They look strangely like…"I ignored him in search for something to show my reflection. Now that I had gotten over that scare, I was more curious than concerned about how I looked. _Maybe the "Unless" stone_, I thought. _That thing always seemed to shine the brightest in my dark world._ I found the stone, but it too, had changed. The word "unless" was gone.

"Hey, Lorax! This changed too!" I shouted.

"Did it?" He said, examining the stone. "Well, that's it. Everything makes sense now."

"What are you talking about? Nothing makes sense!"

"Just… listen to me." The Lorax told me about the how guardians of the forest were created. They only came into existence after the forest was nearly wiped out. And they were only there to prevent what had caused the incident from happening. The Lorax was good with nature, talking with animals, and preventing natural disasters. But when it came to me… he was nearly helpless. So, the Lorax said, the forest would need a new guardian, someone that people would listen to more than the Lorax.

"Someone… like me…" I muttered in disbelief. "W-wait. That doesn't make sense. Why would I become a guardian of the forest? I destroyed it!"

"Well, maybe you're still cursed." The Lorax said with a grin. "Forced to help out me forever!"

"Cursed? That's a blessing!" I said, giving him a hug. "This is great! I'm young again! I can run again and move and play guitar and… fix everything." I smiled. "I can be the hero for once."

"Well fine, Mr. Hero." The Lorax said. "As your first heroic act, make sure the kid's alright."

"Oh yeah." I had almost forgotten about Ted. "Sure thing." I left the Lorax and headed into my house. _Finally._ I thought. _Finally._ I could clear my conscience. I could finally do good instead evil… I could finally… _make dad proud._ I stared out of one of the windows in my house. The sky was nice and blue. _If there's something after death… I wonder if dad is proud of me?_ I sighed. _Probably not. At least… not yet. I failed to make him happy the first time… but I'll make him proud this time around. I'll do good instead of evil! I will pursue what everyone needs… and that's definitely not a thneed._ I smiled to myself. _Time to start over. This time… it'll make you smile._

_The End._


End file.
